Cargill acquires leading sunflower oil brand Sweekar

Gurgaon, 25 March 2011 — Cargill announced that it signed an agreement with Marico Ltd. to acquire its refined sunflower oil brand Sweekar. The scope of the acquisition is limited to the product brand only.

This acquisition not only strengthens Cargill’s existing portfolio of leading edible oil consumer brands, but also expands its market reach in India’s premium sunflower oil market. Cargill already produces and markets sunflower oil locally under its NatureFresh and Gemini brands.

“Sweekar is a well-established and trusted name associated with health, nutrition and goodness. By adding Sweekar to our broad range of healthy and low absorption oils, we are now even better able to serve the growing number of health-conscious consumers in India. We will build on Sweekar’s strong brand heritage and consumers will benefit from Cargill's commitment to quality, food safety, innovation and value,” added Chaudhry.

Cargill Foods India originates, refines, and markets a wide range of edible oils and fats to service the needs of food manufacturers, food service companies and consumers across India. Cargill’s NatureFresh, Gemini and Rath brands are amongst the strongest consumer brands in India. The business owns and operates three edible oil refineries located at Paradip (Orissa), Kandla (Gujarat) and Kurkumbh (Maharastra).

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Cargill in India

Cargill first established a presence in India in 1987. The company’s operations including the origination, handling, processing and production of a wide range of products such as refined oils, grain and oilseeds, sugar, cotton, animal feed as well as food and beverage flavors. Cargill also markets to consumers quality edible oils under India’s leading brands ‘NatureFresh’, ‘Gemini’ and `Rath’. For more information, please visit www.cargill.co.in.

About Cargill

Cargill is an international producer and marketer of food, agricultural, financial and industrial products and services. Founded in 1865, the privately held company employs 131,000 people in 66 countries. Cargill helps customers succeed through collaboration and innovation, and is committed to applying its global knowledge and experience to help meet economic, environmental and social challenges wherever it does business. For more information, visit www.cargill.com.